Method and apparatus for coloring



Sept. 26, 1939. A. s. JONES METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COLORING FABRICS Filed Aug. 24, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TTORNEYJ Septf26, 1939. A. s. JONES 1 3 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COLORING FABRICS Filed Aug. 24, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I I I I I I I I I 1N VENT OR.

W? I A BY 4 E7 eta 4 TTORNEHQF Patented Sept. 26, 1939 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Albert S. Jones, North Adams, Mass., assignor to Arnold Print Works, North Adams, Mass., a

corporation of Massachusetts Application August 24, 1937, Serial No. 160,587

11 Claims.

This invention relates in general to coloring fabrics with colors which require development by steam and acid treatment. Examples of such colors are stabilized diazo base and naphthol compounds such as rapidogene, rapidosol, diagene and pharmasol colors, also stabilized vat colors such as indigosol and algosol colors. Such colors are ordinarily colorless, or only slightly colored, when first applied and dried,

l and before being developed. For this reason the character of the finished product is not apparent until after development. The use of such colors in the printing of. fabrics by the prevailing methods has been subject to certain serious difficulties due to the practical necessity of developing such colors in a separate apparatus operated independently of the printing machine. In such procedure, the entire run of fabric has had the undeveloped color applied and dried before the run was developed, and hence the operator has had to depend upon such unsatisfactory expedients as locally developing a small area or patch of the goods to ascertain the probable character'of the finished work beforepass- 5 ing the entire run through the printer.

The difficulty of ascertaining in advance the character of the finished product is naturally more serious in the case of printing than in other forms of coloring fabrics, such. as dyeing,

l and my present invention is more particularly concerned with the coloring of fabrics by printing, although in a generic sense it is also applicable to the field of dyeing and other chemical treatments of fabrics, as will appear.

i An important object of the invention is to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for chemically treating fabrics with vapors, as for example the vapors of organic acids such as used in conjunction with a steaming treat- 9 ment in the development of colors on fabrics. Acid steaming has heretofore been carried out in a large box called an ager, which is kept supplied with hot steam and is filled with acid fumes by dropping the acid on a hot plate 5- within the ager, or by'feeding it in directly with the steam. In this procedure, the steam and acid are applied to the goods in the state of admixture. The apparatus is large and expensive, and the ager and the mechanical parts operating 0 therein are vigorously attacked by the acid fumes. A relatively large quantity of acid is required when employed in the state of admixture with steam, in order that the acid concentration may be sufficient to develop the colors. A large quantity of acid is wasted or lost by condensation with the steam, and some is lost with the steam which escapes from the ager. In addition to this waste and inefficiency, the use of the acid steam mixture in the ager precludes the independent control or regulation of the amount of steaming and the amount of acid treatment. If too much steam is used in the ager, the acid may be too much diluted, and if a sufficiently concentrated acid treatment is obtained, there may readily be too little steaming.

My invention includes an acid volatilizer by which acid vapor of any desired strength or concentration may be directly applied to the goods and at the same time permit the goods to be treated in a quantity of substantially acidfree steam, so that the conjoint effect of the two i apparatus and method by which the steaming and acid development of colors which require such development can be conducted continuously with the application of the undeveloped color to the fabric so that the character of the finished product is at all times discernible during the printing or other operationby which the colors are applied to the fabric. Where heretofore, in

the use of the old acid ager for developing the colors, the expensive and cumbersome nature of the ager, as well as its inefficiencies and perishable nature, precluded the acid ageing of the goods therein continuously from the printer, the simple, inexpensive and highly efiicient operation of my improved steaming and acid vapor treatment, together with the capacity for exact adjustment of the steam and acid supplies independently of each other, permit the unit to be adjusted to the performance of the printer or the l ke, so that the printing and development are coordinated and may be operated in continuity, the one with the other.

To illustrate the principles of the invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings an embodiment thereof in connection with the printing of fabrics.

In said drawings- Figure 1 is a diagram in side elevation, indicating the continuity of printing, drying, development and return of-the fabric to an inspection station adjacent the printer. I

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken longitudinally through the steaming and acid treating apparatus.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the same with a part of the housing removed on the section 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the stationary vapor container showing the apertures through its upper wall to be traversed by the fabric, and

Figure 6 is a transverse section thereof.

Referring in detail to said drawings, and especially to Figure 1, the fabric 20 is shown entering the print machine, herein conventionally represented by the cylinder 2| on which the undeveloped color may be applied to the goods in the usual manner of print machines. From the print machine the fabric, bearing the undeveloped print or color, passes through the system of dry cans constituting the drying apparatus, indicated diagrammatically at 22, from which the dried fabric containing the undeveloped color passes continuously under a guide roll 23 and over the guide rolls 24 into the steaming and acid vapor unit 25, where the color is developed. From the unit 25 the fabric passes over guide roll 25 andthrough the bite of the feed rolls 2'! to a guide roll 28 from which it is passed under a dry can 29, through the system of guide rolls 30, 3|, 32, 33, 34 and 35 on the way to the inspection station constituted by the guide rolls 36 and 31, located adjacent the printer, where the work may be inspected by the operator. the finished goods are passed upwardly over the guide roll 38 and through the folder 39 which may operate to deliver the goods into the usual receiving creel or other receptacle.

The rolls 39 of the folder, and the feed rolls 21 above the steaming and acid treatment unit, are driven in coordination with the printer and dryer mechanism to feed the goods through the successive operations of printing, drying, developing and folding.

The developing unit, where the fabric is subjected to the conjoint action of steam and acid vapor, is illustrated in detail in Figures 2 to 6. This unit is here illustrated as comprising the housing 40, in which are mounted the system of upper and lower guide rolls 4|, 42 through which the fabric is drawn under the influence of the feed rolls 21, previously mentioned. A steam chest 43, supplied with live steam, is mounted at the top of the housing to prevent condensation and drip of condensed steam. The goods may enter and leave the unit through apertures 44 and 45, formed between the steam chest 43 and the adjacent parts of the housing top. Steam is admitted into the bottom of the unit through a pipe 46, under the control of a regulating valve 41, and issues through the spray pipe indicated at 48.

It will be apparent that with the apparatus as thus far described, the quantity of steam supplied to the goods can be readily adjusted to obtain the proper relation with the running speed of the fabric through the printer and dryer. 'It will be seen that the treatment with acid vapor of any desired concentration may likewise be adjusted to coordinate this treatment with the printer, dryer and steaming treatment so that the various operations are readily correlated to obtain effective cooperation of the several parts of the composite system. I have illustrated in From here Figures 2 to 6 a preferred type of vapor container, which is one in which the vapor is produced from a liquid by means of a heater disposed within the vapor container. This vapor container is preferably in the form of a horizontally disposed hollow cylinder 49, closed at the ends 50, 5| and provided with a smooth upper surface 52 adapted to be closely traversed by the fabric which slides over it. This upper surface 52 is apertured at 53, 54, to permit access of the vapor from the container directly to the fabric which runs over the apertures 53, 54. Organic acids are commonly employed for the acid development of colors such as those previously mentioned, and it may be assumed that acetic acid, for example, in liquid form, is admitted from a container 55 under the control of a regulating valve 56 into a furmel 51 leading to the acid inlet pipe 58 of the acid volatilizer cylinder 49. A steam coil 59 is disposed in the bottom of the hollow cylinder 49 and is supplied with steam through the pipes 50 provided with one or more regulating valves 6| to control the supply of heat to the acid and thus the rate of volatilization. The acid vapor, having no escape from the container 49 except through the apertures 53 and 54, which are continuously covered by the fabric traversing the upper surface of the container, is passed directly into the fabric where it is absorbed and largely consumed without difl'using into the surrounding space. It will be noted that the acid volatilizer is illustrated as being disposed within the steam chamber enclosed by the housing 40. This location of the acid volatilizer is preferred in most cases. but not indispensable. So far as its function of supplying acid vapor or other chemically acting vapor to the fabric is concerned, this volatilizer will obviously function whether within the steam chamber or disposed elsewhere; but where the simultaneous. action of steam and acid, separately supplied and independently controlled, is desired, the location of the acid volatilizer within the steam chamber offers important advantages.

While the acid volatilizer and steam treating unit of the character described makes possible for the first time the continuous printing, drying and development, the invention is not limited to the use of this apparatus in conjunction with the printer and dryer. As a unit where chemically acting vapors are to be applied to fabric, the principle of construction herein illustrated has much wider application.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for applying a plurality of vapors to fabric, comprising in combination a housing enclosing a chamber for one of the vapors to be applied to the fabric, a closed container for another vapor to be applied to the fabric, said container having an apertured wall disposed within the said chamber and adapted to be closely traversed and covered by the fabric to be treated, and means for feeding the fabric over said apertured wall while exposed to the vapor within said chamber. 7

2. Apparatus for applying a plurality of vapors to fabric, comprising in combination a housing enclosing a chamber for one of the vapors to be applied to the fabric, a separate container disposed within said chamber and having an apertured wall adapted to be closely traversed and covered by the fabric to be treated, means for supplying to said container a. liquid to be vaporized, means for heating the liquid in said container to vaporizeit, and means for feeding the fabric over said apertured wall.

3. Apparatus for subjecting fabric to the action of steam and acid, comprising in combination a steam chamber, means for feeding the fabric through said steam chamber to steam the fabric, and means for separately applying acid to the fabric at a portion which is in contact with the steam in said chamber, while substantially excluding acid from the steam chamber.

4. Apparatus-for subjecting fabric to the action of steam and acid, comprising in combination a steam chamber, means for feeding the fabric through said steam chamber to steam the fabric,

and means disposed in said steam chamber for separately applying acid to the fabric being steamed during a limited portion of its travel through the steam in said steam chamber.

5. Method of. treating fabrics, which comprises passing the fabric continuously through the operations of applying an undeveloped color to be developed by steam and acid, drying the fabric containing the undeveloped color, and developing the color on the dried fabric by separately applying thereto mutually independent bodies of steam and acid.

6. Apparatus for treating fabrics, comprising in combination means for applying to the fabric an undeveloped color to be developed by steam and acid, fabric drying means receiving the fabric continuously from said color applying means, steam treatment means receiving the fabric continuously from said drying means and means for applying to the fabric during its treatment with the steam an acid at a concentration independent of the steam employed in said steam treatment means.

'7. Apparatus for simultaneously treating fabric with two different gaseous media, which comprises two containers for the respective gaseous media, said two containers being approximately closed to the atmosphere but communicating with each other through an apertured wall, means for maintaining in each of said containers a gaseous medium substantially uncontaminated by the gaseous medium in the other, and means for causing the fabric to traverse said apertured wall for simultaneous exposure of the opposite sides of the fabric to the respective gaseous media in said containers. i

8. Apparatus for simultaneously treating fabric with two gaseous media, comprising in combination a pair of containers, one enclosed within the other, the enclosed container having an apertured wall providing communication with the other, and means for causing the fabric to closely traverse the aperture of said wall and close said communication except through the fabric.

9. Apparatus for developing color on fabric by steam and acid, which comprises in combination a steam container, an acid vapor container enclosed within said steam container with an apertured wall providing communication from the one to the other, and means for feeding the fabric containing the undeveloped color across the aperture of said wall to close the communication from one containerto the other except through the fabric.

10. Method of developing color on a traveling web of fabric, which comprises the steps of applying to the traveling web during a portion of its travel steam comparatively free of acid, then continuing the application of such steam con currently with the application of acid vapor to the A web of. fabric and following this with a discontinuation of the application of acid vapor while continuing application of steam to the traveling web.

11. In the art of textile printing, the method of applying and developing the color, which comp'rises printing the color upon a continuously traveling web of fabric at one stage of its travel, and simultaneously acid-ageing the color on the same continuously traveling web of fabric at a later stage of its travel by steaming the printed fabric and exposing it to the action of acid vapor applied to the fabric at a concentration substantially independent of the steam by which the steaming operation is effected.

, ALBERT S. JONES. 

